PREVIEW: 2023 GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL

In collaboration with German Films, Palace Cinemas presents the 2023 German Film Festival with a lineup that includes several titles arriving in Australia direct from the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival (The Berlinale). Other highlights in the vibrant, 33-film strong program include a music-themed retrospective, a focus on female filmmakers and the return of the popular family sidebar, Kino for Kids.

Opening the festival is director Michael ‘Bully’ Herbig's A THOUSAND LINES (Tausend Zeilen; pictured, above), a true-life drama starring Elyas M’Barek and Jonas May as journalists caught in a fake news scandal involving a disgraced Der Spiegel journalist.

The Festival Centrepiece, direct from its Berlinale world premiere, is Ilker Çatak's THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE (Das Lehrerzimmer) featuring 'Babylon Berlin' star Leonie Benesch (pictured, right) as a dedicated, idealistic teacher who is pushed to the brink when she investigates a series of thefts at her new school.

The program strand Frauen Am Werk: Focus on Female Directors showcases German and Swiss women in film with eleven films from dramas, to documentaries and comedies. Frauke Finsterwalder’s SISI & I (Sisi & Ich) is a contemporary reinterpretation of the “Sisi” myth starring Sandra Hüller; the stylish biopic INGEBORG BACHMANN - JOURNEY INTO THE DESERT (Ingeborg Bachmann – Reise in die Wüste), starring Vicki Krieps, is the latest film by the legendary Margarethe von Trotta; IN A LAND THAT NO LONGER EXISTS (In einem Land, das es nicht mehr gibt) is based on director Aelrun Goette’s own experiences as a model in the German Democratic Republic in 1989; and, Saskia Diesing’s WWII drama LOST TRANSPORT explores the unexpected friendship between three very different women of diverse backgrounds.

Anika Decker directs Elyas M’Barek and Alexandra Maria Lara in the romcom LOVE THING (Liebesdings); Barbara Kulcsar’s Swiss box office hit comedy GOLDEN YEARS (Die goldenen Jahre) follows two retirees who must face their marital problems on a cruise through the Mediterranean; Emily Atef’s seductive drama SOMEDAY WE’LL TELL EACH OTHER EVERYTHING (Irgendwann werden wir uns alles erzählen) follows a young woman who begins a relationship with a charismatic middle-aged farmer; and, Birgit Möller’s FRANKY FIVE STAR is a quirky dramatic comedy starring newcomer Lena Urzendowsky as a woman inhabited by four weird but lovable personalities.

Also helmed by women are the documentaries in the lineup. Eva Weber’s MERKEL (pictured, right) is the astonishing story of how a triple political outsider – a woman, a scientist, and an East German – became Germany’s first female chancellor. And Cordula Kablitz-Post's FCK 2020 – TWO AND A HALF YEARS WITH SCOOTER (FCK 2020  -Zweieinhalb Jahre mit Scooter) follows Germany's undisputed techno superstars Scooter and their eccentric front man H.P Baxxter.

Music flows through this year’s festival with the sidebar retrospective, Music, Art and Chaos: A Sonic Transmission from Berlin. B-MOVIE: LUST & SOUND IN WEST BERLIN 1979-1989, from the directing team of Jörg A. Hoppe, Heiko Lange and Klaus Maeck, fuses unreleased footage and original interviews with pioneers Mark Reeder, Nick Cave, Blixa Bargeld, Nena, Joy Division and Gudrun Gut to reveal the story of life in the divided city; Muscha’s iconic film DECODER (1984) explores the disenfranchised youth culture, neon drenched visuals and urban industrial aesthetics of the early 80s; and, Klaus Maeck and Johanna Schenkel’s LIEBESLIEDER: EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN (1993) captures the renowned industrial band from 1980 to 1993 on the low-fi analogue equipment of the time.

Other centrepiece retrospective screenings include the Wim Wender’s angels-in-love classic WINGS OF DESIRE and Uli Edel’s CHRISTIANE F., remastered in 4K, starring Natja Bronckhurst as the14-year-old girl who falls into the drug scene in West Berlin in the 1970s.

Austrian Cinema presents Adrian Goiginger’s touching WWII drama THE FOX (Der Fuchs) featuring a standout performance from newcomer Simon Morzé as a member of the Austrian Army who finds friendship with a young fox cub; Dieter Berner’s ALMA AND OSKAR (Alma und Oskar) a historical romantic drama that follows the torrid love affair between Viennese grand dame Alma Mahler and expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka; and, Chris Raiber’s quirky fairytale-like Vienna-set urban love story, FIRST SNOW OF SUMMER.

The Goethe-Institut will present films especially curated for children, teens and families with their Kino for Kids for sidebar. The roster of titles includes Mark Schlichter’s ALFONS JITTERBIT – CLASS TRIP CHAOS! (Alfons Zitterbacke – Endlich Klassenfahrt!), the story of a chaotic class trip to the Baltic Sea coast; MY LIFE AS LOTTA – OKEY DOKEY ALPACA! (Mein Lotta-Leben - Alles Tschaka mit Alpaka!), Martina Plura’s family comedy that follows Lotta (Meggy Husson) on her first school trip adventure; ONE IN A MILLION, Joya Thome’s coming-of-age documentary about success and loneliness in the age of social media; Sven Unterwaldt Jr.’S SCHOOL OF MAGICAL ANIMALS 2 (Die Schule der magischen Tiere 2; pictured, above), the live-action-adventure sequel that became Germany’s most popular film of 2022; and, THE ROBBER HOTZENPLOTZ (Der Räuber Hotzenplotz), Michael Krummenacher’s remake of Otfried Preußler's classic children's book.

Closing Night honours go to the female-led drama OVER & OUT, a unique take on a female friendship story. Directed by Julia Becker, it focuses on four lifelong friends who vowed to celebrate their weddings together 26 years ago but when one of them invites the others to Italy, a chaotic road trip ensues.

The 2023 GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL will take place nationally from 2 May to 24 May in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Brisbane and Byron Bay. Tickets and session details will be available at the event’s Official Website.